A Tree Associated With great Name

One of the most respected trees in the world is the Bodhi Vriksha or the Bo Tree. It is near Bodh Gaya temple in Bihar. Prince Siddhartha, while sitting under this tree attained Enlightenment and became Lord Buddha, the enlightened one. According to Buddhist texts, after attaining Enlightenment, Lord Buddha spent a whole week in front of the tree, standing with unblinking eyes, looking at it with thankfulness. The Bodhi tree is recognizable by its heart-shaped leaves that are significantly displayed. Bodhi trees are planted in close vicinity to every Buddhist monastery. They are common destination for pilgrims, being the most important of the main Buddhist pilgrimage Sites. A branch of this sacred tree was carried to Sri Lanka by King Asoka’s children Mahindra and 3angharnittra. The first branch was planted in the city of Anuradhapura and the tree is continuously growing until this day in the island’s ancient capital, Anuradhapura. Although the original Bodhi tree deteriorated and died of old age, the descendants of the branch that was brought by Emperor Ashoka’s children, can still be found on the island. Here it is known as the Sri Mahabodhi tree. According to the Chinese pilgrim, Hiuen Tsang, the famous tree at Bodh Gaya was destroyed by the King of Gauda. A branch from the tree at Anuradhapura had to be obtained to replace the destroyed tree.